Greetings,
>
> Callas said somewhere that "you must make love to the
> music"--and perhaps
> that (along with an incredible level of discipline and
> stunning musicality)
> was the reason that she was so convincing. Perhaps other
> performers put
> themselves ahead of the music.
>
I realize this is another side-track from your original
post, although the Callas argument fascinates me so much I
thought I would make another contribution (hope you don't
mind!).
I firmly believe that if Callas had actually sustained a
belief in the above premise she would have been able to
overcome her emotional traumas and use the experience of
her sadness to deepen her artistry. Have you, or any
others, viewed the EMI "Callas: Life and Art" documentary?
It is the very best in my opinion. One is really given the
impression that Callas was not creating this incredible
music because of a deep love for the composer or for the
music. She was, in actuality, giving all of herself to her
audiences in an attempt to be accepted and loved. I will
say, with the risk of being accused of being too Freudian,
that Maria's mother, let us not forget, rejected her from
the moment she was born. It was she who pressured the
young Callas to perform and take music lessons, and when
Callas succeeded and became the diva her mother had
pressured her to be, she was rejected again. When her
emotional crisis occured in the mid-sixties (I won't get
into specifics because we've all heard the story too many
times), she again felt unloved. During this time (just
listen to the '64 Toscas), her acting and interpretive
abilities simply soared, although she essentially destroyed
the greatest tool at her disposal: her voice.
However, the fact is, some absoluely incredible artistic
feats were accomplished by Callas, whatever her basic
drives happened to be. I think her incredible ability as
an actress and a singer (and she is not alone here) did,
indeed, stem from her ability to put the music ahead of her
whims as a performer; however, perhaps not with an
underlying desire to make her audience love the music as
much as a basic human need to make them love *her* as a
person. This theory somewhat explains why her vocal
decline was so sudden and dramatic.
A singer should be able to move freely and naturally on
stage without concern for his/her individual whims. The
singer you described originally as being "less genuine" and
"calculated" sounds as if her insincerity was apparent
because she allowed her voice (or her pride) to hinder the
flow of the music (because of arrogance or emotional
insecurity perhaps). I think, and this is in my experience
observing, that more accomplished singers tend to convey a
sense of 'dishonesty' because they fear that by being more
naturally expressive and spontaneous they will lose their
grasp of their refined technical abilities. Perhaps this
is not so because of arrogance or vanity, but simply
because more advanced singers tend to be more aware of the
enormous responsibility a singer has, musically speaking.
The calculated acting and stage presence are perhaps
methods that allow them to feel more secure with the
musical aspect of a performance.
I am beginning to believe more and more that the ideal
singer is one who is humble enough to let the music speak
for itself, but is also selfless enough to not get attached
to the music she is producing. A truly gifted singer (I
mentioned Marian Anderson earlier as a fabulous example)
acts solely as a vessel for the voice of the composer,
without feeling the need to 'become' the composer. I do
not think that a convincing singer/actress is one who
allows the power of the music to dominate her personality,
but rather, sits back and lets her voice merge with the
composer's legacy (and that of the text of course).
I think, all in all, that singers should adopt a more
selfless approach to this art. The movie "Babette's Feast"
comes to mind as an example of an artist who had the
ability to produce something wonderful without ever
becoming attached to it and feeling the need to take credit
for it.
Just rambling :) I'll sign off now.
--Kate
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